FAQs

Experts recommend 30-60 minutes of exercise per day. The 60-minute suggestion is based on the National Academy of Sports Medicine ideal recommendation for people who are trying to lose weight.

While 30 minutes of daily physical activity is considered enough to lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, even 10 minutes a day will do you good. Remember that you don’t have to do all your exercise in one session: A 30-minute aerobics workout in the morning, a 20-minute walk after work, and 10 minutes of mopping the floor after dinner can do the trick. (Don’t forget to include some strength training and stretching in your workouts, too.)

Exercise alone does not necessarily make you lose weight, but it will help you to slim down and reshape your body by decreasing fat and increasing muscle. Regular exercise:

Helps you burn calories that you have consumed during meals

Helps combat muscle loss that can occur when you lose weight

Builds up your muscle tissue

Increases the amount of calories that you burn. The more muscular you are, the more calories you burn.

Remember that exercising does not always lead to weight loss (muscle weighs more than fat), but your body will be more toned and slimmer (you will fit into your clothes better). In addition, exercise is an excellent way to relieve stress and tension.

Exercise at a moderately intense level. You should be able to talk without running out of breath during the activity.

Exercise for more than 40 minutes.

During the first 20 minutes, your body taps into your sugar reserves (carbohydrates stored as blood glucose and muscle glycogen). Between 20 to 40 minutes of exercise, the body continues to use up your sugar reserves and starts to tap into your body fat.

After 40 minutes the body starts to burn even more fat.

Choose aquatic workouts or exercise in the cold. This causes the body to burn more energy and melt fat more quickly. The body draws on its fat reserves to stay warm.

The 60-minute suggestion is based on the National Academy of Science’s recommendation for people who are trying to prevent weight gain, or keep themselves from regaining after weight loss — not for people who are trying to increase or maintain their cardio-respiratory fitness or health. There’s plenty of research to show that 30 minutes of physical activity a day will help you gain lots of health and fitness benefits.

Remember that you don’t have to do all your exercise in one session. If you already exercise vigorously at the gym several times a week, there’s no reason to quit. But if 60 minutes seems like too much for you, try 30 minutes a day as a starting goal.

If you’re new to exercise, or have struggled with it in the past, talk with your doctor about your exercise plans. After that, start by incorporating more activity into your daily life. For instance:

If you always take the elevator, try the stairs.

If you try to park next to the door of wherever you’re going, park further away and walk.

If your habit is to eat at your desk, take a 10- to 20-minute walk first, then have your lunch (or take a walk after you eat).

Instead of watching TV all day Saturday and Sunday, plan active weekends. Go to the park, take a walking tour, ride your bike, or row a boat.

If you prefer a more ambitious routine, you can join a gym or try working out at home. Try for 30 to 60 minutes of continuous aerobic activity (such as swimming, biking, walking, dancing, or jogging) at least three to five times a week, at 60% to 90% of your maximum heart rate. Weight training can also help tone your muscles and elevate your resting metabolism rate (the rate that the body burns fuel for energy). Try at least one set (eight to 12 repetitions) each of eight to 10 different exercises, targeting each of the body’s major muscle groups.

Whatever plan you decide on, it’s a good idea to set weekly goals:

Write down what activity you plan to do, on what day of the week, for how long, and at what time of day. Be as specific and realistic as possible. For instance, write down “Tuesday: Walk for 20 minutes at 7 p.m., to the park and back.”

At the end of each week, review your goals and set new ones for the upcoming week.

Research shows that setting goals will help you stick to your program. It will clarify what you’re supposed to do and let you track your progress. If you hit a roadblock later on, you can refer to what has worked in the past, or use your accomplishments to re-energize yourself.

There is virtually no medical condition that will keep you from doing any type of exercise. Even people with heart failure — who were long told not to exercise at all — can benefit from moderate amounts of activity.

And people with limited mobility can often do water exercises, or do yoga or other exercises while seated in a chair (some “chair exercise” videos are now on the market). Of course, if you have any medical condition, check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

There are several reasons why your weight can hit a plateau, including:

Losing weight too quickly . When this happens, your metabolism (the rate at which your body burns calories) can slow down because your body senses it is starving.

Losing muscle . When you lose weight, up to 25% can come from muscle tissue. And since muscle is the engine in your body that burns calories and helps maintain your metabolism, losing it can hinder weight loss.

Reaching your body’s particular set point — the weight and metabolic rate your body is genetically programmed to be . Once you reach that point, it’s much harder to lose weight and even if you do, you’re likely to regain it.

Even with any of the above factors, the bottom line to losing weight is eating fewer calories than you burn. Studies show that people almost always underestimate how many calories they’re eating. So if you’re struggling with weight loss, you’re still exercising, and you’ve ruled out any of the above reasons for weight plateaus, look at your calorie intake or change your fitness routine.

The body mass index (BMI) is a simple way for men and women to estimate body fat based on their height and weight. From the BMI, it is possible to determine your healthy weight range.

For the majority of Americans, the BMI is the most up-to-date and scientifically sound method available for determining healthy weight. One of the limitations of BMI is that it can over-predict overweight or obesity in people who are lean and muscular.

It is important to know that people who are classified as overweight or obese can still be healthy as long as they are fit. In one well-known study, fit people with BMIs that classified them as overweight or obese were healthier and lived longer than unfit people who were at normal weight.

In interval training, you alternate between bursts of higher-intensity exercise and periods of less-intense exercise (or “active rest”). As you get more fit, you decrease the “rest” time and increase the high-intensity periods. You’ll see big fitness gains if you train this way regularly.

For example, if you now run for 30 minutes at 6 mph, try this routine: Jog for five minutes to warm up. Then, increase your speed to 6.5 mph for one to two minutes (less if you can’t go that long). Then, jog for a few minutes at your normal speed, then again at the faster speed, and so on until you reach your time limit. Your ratio of work to active rest would be 2:3 if you ran for two minutes at 6.5 mph, then jogged for three minutes at 6 mph.

You can also use your heart rate to set intervals. For example, if your heart rate hits 70% of your maximum when you jog at 6 mph, start at that speed. Then increase either your speed or elevation (if you’re on a treadmill) to get your heart rate to 85% or 90% of maximum for one to three minutes. Then, go back to jogging at the 70% heart rate, and continue alternating.

We recommend interval training just once a week to start, as it is more intense than you may be used to. Once you get a feel for it, you can do it more often.

The Fitness Center Orientation is a full orientation of the resistance training and cardio equipment. The Fitness Evaluation is a head-to-toe evaluation of your individual strengths and weaknesses in the areas of posture, movement, strength, flexibility and athletic performance. The evaluation is the first step in creating a customized program to fit your individual needs and goals.

Members are required to be 14 years or older to use the Fitness Center and Cardio Equipment. Members between ages 12–14 may use the Fitness Center and Cardio equipment after they have successfully completed the LGSRC Junior Weight Training program.

Junior Weight Training is a 4-week educational fitness program that meets twice a week designed for 12-14 year olds to get them familiar with the Fitness facility and proper exercise technique. Upon successful completion of the Junior Weight Training Program, the child may use the facility under direct parental supervision.

Personal training is designed to help you reach your health & fitness goals through one-on-one attention. You’ll be setup on an exercise program that is suited to your goals, health and exercise history, schedule, and personal preferences.

Selecting a trainer is as much a personal choice as it is a technical choice. Review the trainers’ qualifications (also available at the club) or contact the Fitness Director to help you in making your decision.

That is up to you and your trainer. Some members want only a base program, which take two weeks; Others, want to see results quickly or enjoy the experience and education while working with their trainer.

We offer One-on-One Personal Training sessions as well as Duo (2-people) or Small Group Training (3+). For more information on Group Training please visit our Group Training page, or contact us at (408)356-2136.

Personal Training rates vary based on level of Personal Trainer certifications. All of our Personal Trainers are certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). Click here for the current training rates.

Our New Leaf metabolic assessment and training program is based on decades of medical research and proven scientific know-how. Whether you’re just starting to exercise or you’re training for your next marathon, you can boost your metabolism. And that means you can achieve your goal of better health, fitness, or athletic performance—when your exercise and nutrition plans are based on your personal metabolic profile.

Think of it as your metabolic fingerprint: It’s unique to you, and it holds all the info needed to create a highly successful, personal exercise training plan. Your metabolic profile helps you determine how long you should exercise and how intensely (probably not as hard as you think!). Your profile also provides insight into the nutritional choices that will improve your health, increase your overall fitness, and ultimately enhance your athletic performance.

The DMS or Deep Muscle Stimulator is a tool operated by Personal Trainers that uses percussion and mechanical vibrations that reach deep into the muscle tissue. The DMS can be used on trigger points or to isolate a specific muscle. It is also an excellent tool to use pre and post workout. The vibration and percussion of the DMS may offer the following benefits:

Increased circulation

Reduced pain

Faster rehabilitation from injury

Increased lymphatic flow

Break up of muscular scar tissue

Reduced lactic acid build up

Tissue Regeneration

Soft & Active tissue release

The DMS may be used during Personal Training sessions or by appointment for an additional fee.

Drag Suit – The second (or more) swim suit worn to increase drag in the water. This is like using weights when walking, or weighting a bat in warm up. It makes the swimmer work harder in practice, and feel “lighter and faster” in the meets, when only one, skin-tight, suit is worn.
DQ – Disqualification (swimmer’s time isn’t official).
Heat Sheet – A list of swimmers competing in each event, ordered by heats. Heats usually get progressively faster (i.e., the last heat to swim each event usually has the fastest swimmers based on seed time).
Long Course – Generally, the summer swim season, usually in 50 meter pools, though occasionally there will be a 25 yard pool. Very often outdoor pools are used. Shortest event is a 50 meter distance.
Meters versus Yards – Pools are constructed in two measurement dimensions. Meters, as in the metric system, and yards. Meters are used for all international meets, and many other meets. Long course is often held in meter pools. Yards are found in short course, and local pools. 25 meters and 50 meters are longer than 25 and 50 yards.
N.T. – NT (no time) after a swimmer’s name on heat sheets or psych sheets indicates that the swimmer does not yet have an officially recorded time in the event.
Psych Sheet – At all positive-check-in meets, you can pick up (for ~$3) a listing that tells you all the events and all swimmers in each event: the swimmer with the fastest seed time is listed first and the swimmer with the slowest seed time is listed last. While the psych sheet does tell you all the events your child will swim in, it does not tell you precisely which heat your child is in. (Some meets are not positive-check-in, at those meets you can buy a heat sheet … see the definition of heat sheet). Heat sheets and Psych sheets are very helpful for following a meet.
Seed Time – The best time a swimmer has in an event. That time is submitted by the coach when entering swimmers for a meet. It will determine where a swimmer is “seeded” in that particular race. However, because entry forms are often due weeks before a meet, a swimmer’s seed time might not necessarily be their best time any more by the time a meet takes place. Short Course – Generally, the fall through spring swim season. Meets are held indoors, in 25 yard pools. Shortest event is a 25 yard distance.

The FreeMotion Vertex is Whole Body Vibration Platform (WBV). When movement is performed on the Vertex the vibrations initiate an involuntary muscle contraction, resulting in increased muscular fire rate. The Vertex can be used for strength, power and flexibility training. The FreeMotion Vertex may be used during Personal Training sessions or by appointment for an additional fee.

*Childcare is available by reservation ONLY on weekday afternoons and weekends (see Reservation Policies). Kids’ Club is only staffed during scheduled reservation. Example: Kids’ Club is open for reservations Thursday at 3:30pm, however if you do not have a reservation and there is not a scheduled reservation until 6:00pm a staff member will not arrive until 5:50pm. If you show up at 3:30 to “drop in” there may be no one in Kids’ Club to watch your children. Please make afternoon reservation by 1:00pm the day you would like to come in and weekend reservations by 7:00 p.m. the night before (i.e. Friday at 7:00 p.m. for a Saturday reservation).

Kids Club is fully equipped to handle infants. We do not have a minimum age, but most parents do not bring in babies under 6 weeks. Kids Club is suited for children up to the age of 7 years. Children 7 years or older may come into Kids Club with special arrangements only.

Children will be involved in a variety of different activities while at Kids Club. Each day the staff follow a schedule that rotates activities such as Story Time, Music, Arts and Crafts, Playground, Group Games, Math Centers, and more. See the posted schedule in Kids Club for more information.

The first order of business is to set up your complementary, 30 minute evaluation with our Tennis Director. Our Tennis Director will assess your level in a 20 minute on court session and then discuss all the programs that suit your goals at the club. Please note although this is a complimentary service, if you do not give cancellation notice prior to 24 hours of your scheduled appointment, there will be a $40 charge.

LGSRC has many social events scheduled throughout the year. A complete list can be found under “Member Events”. For more information on finding new hitting partners please contact our Tennis Director, Vince Russo at 408-356-8363. If you are a new tennis member, our Tennis Director will try to set you up with players in your level once you completed the 30 minutes new member evaluation.

All reservation courts are 1 hour 30 minutes. Ball machine reservation time is 30 minutes. If you are playing on a walk on court, then playing time is 1 hour 15 minutes for singles. 1 hour 30 minutes for doubles. If no one is waiting you may continue to play longer.

Contact our pro shop at 408-356-8363 and they will discuss clinic days and prices with you. A complete list of our junior clinics can be found under “Junior Tennis” junior tennis program. Private lessons will be scheduled with our teaching staff, give them a list of times that are convenient for you. One of our certified teaching pros will call you back to schedule a lesson.

Email the Tennis Proshop at lgsrc.proshop@gmail.com to let them know as a current tennis member you are interested in playing USTA league. Pro Shop will send out a registration email 3 weeks before each USTA League season opens for online registration. Reply to the email and you will be placed on a club team by our tennis director.

Members are welcome to bring guests to the Club by paying guest fees. Upon entering the Club, members must sign in and register their guest at the front desk. Member must accompany guests at all times. The same guest is allowed to attend the club twice in one month.